The film has been widely praised as game-changing - including by Michelle Obama - for having a largely black cast and a black director, Ryan Coogler.

Box office analyst Jeff Bock told the New York Times: "I think about it like a wall crumbling. In terms of Black Panther, no studio can say again, 'Oh, black movies don't travel, overseas interest will be minimal.'"

Based on Disney's estimate of ticket sales, the film passed the $1bn mark on the 26th day of its release.

Film information site IMDB says 32 movies have scored a box office billion, including 2012 James Bond offering Skyfall, the 2017 Beauty and the Beast reboot starring Emma Watson, and modern children's classic Frozen.